Thera 1.8: Vira
Tipitaka >> Sutta Pitaka >> Khuddaka Nikaya >> Theragatha >> Thera(8):Vira Adapted from the Archaic Translation by Mrs. C.A.F. Rhys Davids. Commentary (Atthakatha) By Acariya Dhammapala Note: 'C' in Pali text is pronounced as 'ch' as in 'China'. ---- Chapter I. Single Verses =8. Vīra = Reborn in this Buddha-age at Sāvatthī, in the family of a minister to King Pāsenadi, he was named Vīra.1 And when, as befitted his name, he had acquired athletic accomplishments, he became a warrior. Marrying with his parents' consent, a son was born to him. Upon that, 14 seeing the trouble in the perpetuation of life,2 he left the world(for monkhood) in anguish, and putting forth every effort soon acquired sixfold abhiññā(higher knowledge). Now when, as arahant(enlightened), he was living in the bliss of fruition, his former wife tried to lure him back in various ways. But the venerable Vira said: 'This woman, desiring to seduce me, is like one wishing to shake Mount Sineru3 with the wing of a gnat.' And he showed her how futile it was by his saying(gatha): ---- 8 Yo duddamiyo damena danto vīro santusito vitiṇṇakaɱkho|| Vijitāvī apetalomahaɱso vīro so parinibbuto ṭhitatto' ti.|| || ---- 8 Once hard to tame, by taming now is tamed Vira, from doubts released, content, serene; Victor is Vira, free from creeping dread; His is the goal supreme, and firm strength. ---- The woman, hearing him, was deeply moved, and thought: 'My husband has won to this-what good is domestic life to me ?' And she went forth(into monkhood) among the Sisters, and soon acquired the Three-fold wisdom.4 ---- 1 Heroic, strong. Pāsenadi was King of Kosala, of the same age as the Buddha (Majjh. Nik., ii. 124). 2 Lit., in Saŋsāra, 'continual going on.' Cf. XCIX. 3 See Sisters, verse 384. Pronounced Sīne'ru. 4 Cf. p. 29, n. 1. This triple Acquisition forms three of the six forms of abhiññā, or supernormal ability, p. 32, n. 1. ---- 1.1-88 Commentary on the stanza of =Vīra Thera= The stanza starting with Yo duddamiyo constitutes the stanza of the venerable Thera Vira. What is the origin? This one, it is said, looked after the residential abode of the Blessed One Vipassī. On a certain day also he collected Nigguṇṭha flowers resembling Sindhuvāra flowers and reverentially offered them to the Glorius One. On account of that act of merit, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths among divine and human beings and was reborn in the family of a warrior-prince (khattiya), thirty five aeons (kappa) ago from now, and became a world-king known as Mahāpatāpa. Exercising his sovereighty with righteousness and equity he made his subjects get established in the path of heaven (sagga). Again in this aeon (kappa) at the time of the Blessed One Kassapa, he became a banker of immense wealth, and offering charity to destitutes, travellers and so on, he offered milk meal to the clergy (Saṅgha). Making his storage of merit made of charity in this and that existence, in this manner, and well-loading up also other forms of merit for the benefit of nibbāna, he wandered about his rounds of repeated rebirths and was reborn in a family of a minister of king Pasenadī in the city of Sāvitthi, when this Buddha arose. They gave his the name “Vīra.” On having come of age, he, being endowed with such qualities as attainment of vigour, speed and so on as acting up to his name (nāmānugata), became a bold battle-fighter (saṇgāmasūra), gained but one son, when he had to take up a wife as arranged by his parents by way of binding him down, but being urged by his former cause, he came to find out disadvantage in sensual pleasures as well as in saṃsāra, got remorseful, became a monk and as he strived and exerted he became the gainer of six sorts of super-knowlede, but before long. Therefore, it has been said in the Apadāna thus:– “I was a monastery-keeper of the Glorious One Vipassī; having collected Nigguṇṭhi flowers, I reverentially offered (abhiropayiṃ), them to Buddha. Because I especially offered flowers with reverence, ninety one aeons ago from now, I do not remember, in particular, that I had to suffer in painful existence (duggati). This is the fruition of my reverential offering to Buddha. Twentyfive aeons ago from now, I became a sovereign of men; by the name of Mahāpatāpana I became a world king of mighty vigour. My depravity (kilesa) had been burnt. … Buddha’s instruction (sāsana) had been carried out. After having attained Arahantship, however, in this manner, his former wife being desirous of disrobing (uppabbājetuṃ) the Thera who was spending his time with the bliss of his proper attainment (samāpatti) of fruition (phala), made her effort now and then to lure the Thera with many a variety of method and one day she went to the place of day-stay and began to show her womanly coquetry (kutta). Thereupon, the venerable Vīra uttered a stanza starting with: yo duddamiyo in order to bring to light the futility of her functions (kiriya) saying: “So foolish, indeed, is this woman; being desirous of luring me she seems to be desirious of shaking sineru by means of the breeze of mosquito wings.” 8. There the meaning of such words as begin with yo duddamiyo has but been aforesaid. However, this is just the interpretation here:– yo is to be construed as: - formerly because of unsubhued depravity (kilesa) or because of not being able to subdue and conquer the battle-fronts (saṇgāmasīsā) set up by enemies, he was duddamiyo finding difficulty to tame himself; now, however, having been tamed by themost excellent tamer I am a vīra (hero) because of being endowed with exertion of the four-fold righteous effort (sammappadhāna); but by the said method, being contented, free from uncertainties (vitiṇṇakaṇkho), having become a clear conqueror, and expelled excitement (lomahaṃsa) he had become vīra, known as hero and by his having all-round extinguished fires of depravity (kilesa) totally, he had become parinibbuto (completely calm), as a result of that even, he had gained the nature of being steadfast (ṭhitasabhāvo) and could not be shaken even by hundreds and thousands of such-like (enemies). On having heard that stanza, that lady became remorse-striken, saying: “When my husband has thus properly practised (paṭipanna) what benefit is there by my household life?,” renounced the world, became a bhikkhunī and but before long, gained for herself the threefold knowledge (tevijjā). The Commentary on the stanza of the Thera Vīra is complete. ----